This invention relates to mechanisms for supporting and adjusting headlamps of vehicles such as automobiles.
The mounting supports for automotive headlamps normall include adjustments for pivoting the lamps. For each lamp there is an up-down adjustment for pivoting the lamp in a vertical plane, and a left-right adjustment for pivoting the lamp in a horizontal plane. In addition to being adjustable, the mounting support has to be sturdy and not allow the lamp to vibrate or shift during operation of the automobile.
Numerous headlamp supports and adjustment mechanisms have been provided in the prior art, such as those shown in the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 4,584,634 4,516,191 4,503,486 4,482,939 4,471,413 4,237,529 4,195,327 Re. 32,088 ______________________________________
In addition to the mechanisms shown in the above patents, the prior art also includes a bevel gear design wherein a vertical shaft is coupled to a horizontal shaft by a bevel gear connection. The horizontal shaft is connected to the headlamp and the vertical shaft may be rotated by a tool such as a screwdriver in order to adjust the angle of the beam. Further, the vertical shaft is accessible by lifting the hood of the automobile, rather than from the front of the lamp as is the case with most lamps.
Still another prior art arrangement is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings herein, wherein the numeral 1 indicates the back side of a headlamp having bosses 2 on it. A horizontal shaft 3 is attached to a plate 4 on the bosses and it is coupled to a lever 5. A mounting bracket 6 supports the lever 5 by a pivot pin 7, and a vertical shaft 8 is threadedly connected to the bracket 6 and pivotably connected to the lever 5. When the shaft 8 is screwed up or down in a threaded hole of the bracket, it causes the lever 5 to pivot and thereby move the shaft 3 and the lower part of the headlamp in the forwardrearward direction.
A headlamp design recently coming into use in place of the common sealed beam light includes a glass shell that encloses a bulb, and a lens that covers the front of the shall. It is preferable that such a lamp be enclosed by the vehicle body, and this style is also desirable for aesthetic reasons. However, this style requires that any adjustment of the lamp be made from under the hood.
The prior art described above does not adequately form a firm and adjustable support which is accessible from above (from under the hood). The design using gears is relatively complex and expensive. On the other hand, the design shown in FIG. 1 does not form a stable and firm support for the lamps. Since the ends of the lever 5 swing in arcs, the associated ends of the shafts 3 and 8 must also be able to swing. This movement is accommodated by making parts of the support bracket 6 flexible, but this flexibility also allows the lamp to vibrate excessively.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved mechanism which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.